Hi - I'm back.
Thanks JLM. I guess I'm lucky when it comes to jobs - even when my husband was transferred every 4 or 5 years, I'm the one that had to make the job changes" so, needless to say, I've had a "few." I have never had a bad work experience. My bosses and co-workers have always been nice - in fact, I've made life-long friends in the process. Did I always start at the salary I wanted? No but "local" economics played a big part in that. Moving from BC to Alberta to Manitoba to Ontario - I always started at "less" than I had previously earned, despite the fact that my skills were constantly improving. Having said that, I also never stayed at the "lower" wage range for long, once I proved myself. The companies I worked for were small to medium for the most part.
Two jobs I did have involved unions. One I was a member; the other I was not. Both experiences gave me "food" for thought about their (union) value. The first one I worked in an office which was not unionized but the "plant" was. In fact, I started working in the office during a strike, so yeah, I crossed picket lines. (I was single at this time) and needed to put a roof over my head and food on the table so to speak. Didn't know much about unions then anyway, but I digress.
The management made, I found out later, a reasonable offer which the union rejected, thus the strike. What the management knew, and obviously the union didn't, was that technology was just taking off and, eventually, would make their jobs redundant. What the company was trying to do was invest in this technology which would, eventually mean retraining their workers in the use of this technology and hopefully make the business more sustainable. It also offered new opportunities in branching out. The union didn't see it that way and went on strike for oh, about 6 months or so. To make a long story short, the union ended up settling for the original offer so lost 6 months of wages for nothing. While the company tried to diversify, it wasn't enough and, eventually shut down. Too little too late, I guess but I had already gone on to greener pastures.
My second experience involved actually belonging to the union. Shortly after I started a renegotiation of the current contract went well and we got our raises. However, the atmosphere at the work-site was unbelievable. There was more back-stabbing and bitching then I could handle and I lasted, amazingly, 9 months. I just couldn't take it. Lesson learned?? Money isn't everything!!
So far, unions 0 - 2 for me. I personally, would never work union, but hey, unions work for others so who am I to say?
I have now worked for my current employer for 7 years. I "accidently" came on the job in my last semester of college when I only had 2 classes and I figured I would help the "hubby" with some additional cash. I started part-time, thru a temp agency and, once I graduated, I was hired full time. I did get "a bit" of a raise but nothing to write home about. Since then, my salary has increased considerably.
This is the point I'm trying to make. My boss, a small businessman, employs 15 people (actually, as of tomorrow 16). He takes his business very seriously and pays everyone what he feels they are worth. Every year that I've gotten a raise he has called me into his office, told me what the raise was and why I was getting it. He also complements me on my work and tells me how much he appreciates what I do for the company. (note I said company) not for him. I would hope that, if I was screwing up, he'd tell me that too. It's called 'constructive criticism"
Obviously, my work also benefits him as well - he owns the bloody place. But here's the thing - he's always trying to think "outside" the box. He feels a big duty to his employees as he knows that they rely on him to keep the business going. No business, lots of people lose their jobs. So he's always trying to think of new ways to keep the business he has and increase it. He does that by re-investing into his company and his employees. If he didn't do that, he'd lose his business to the competition.
He has told me that, while some people complain about how he does things, he believes that if he doesn't try expanding and increasing his business, no one can expect raises or promotions. He wants his employees to be happy and productive. He encourages people to try different things - namely how others do their jobs. Some in our office don't like that concept, which he finds extremely frustrating. Obviously, they lack the security or confidence that maybe someone else can do it better or faster. That isn't what he's trying to do. If that person were to get sick for a period of time, or go on holidays, someone could step in and cover. There's nothing like going on holidays for a week or 2 and finding nothing done when you get back so you have to work your **s off to try and catch up. That's the union thinking, incidentally - protect your job.
In my experience, he is NOT the exception but the rule. He is just my "current" experience. Like others I have experienced before, he's simply a good "business man" who has not only his family but my family interests at heart.
Are there exceptions? I'm sure there are but it hasn't been my experience.
JMO
..I can accept that DB..Although I suppose we live in different words/worlds...1 word respect....Another lyric from one of my 1996 ,28 out of 30 hit song ...
